The Passion of the Christ > Mel Gibson
Conspiracy Theory > Julia Roberts
Flatliners > Kevin Bacon

If it remains primarily about how important it is for a girl to have a boyfriend in place of a personality, then TWILIGHT is a problem whether it's vampires or not.

I don't know if you're a true Scotsman, but that certainly is a hell of a straw man you're whacking at there.

The line, for me, is when their false beliefs start to impact my life. And when they do, if their actions are based on an absurd belief, I'm going to say so. And if someone else comes by and says "Hey, I'm not an asshole but I believe the same thing that asshole does that you say is wrong," I'll say "It's great that you're not an asshole, but he's wrong and so are you."

Lady with a knit sweater who thinks grey is red? Fine, whatever. Lady with a bully pulpit who thinks gays should be put to death because the Bible says so? Not fine. Lady who believes the Bible but doesn't have a problem with gays? That's cool of her, but it doesn't make the Bible truer, and isn't a good reason not to object to it when the other lady starts trying to pass laws.

You're probably right, the top of the second act is too early. Probably better at the midpoint instead, and yes, the depressing and non-fanciful "Dark Night of the Soul" would be deliberate, leading into the explosion of imagination that would comprise the third act.

You're going after a straw man here, maul. If you listen to a shortly pre-AVATAR commentary -- I believe it was GHOSTBUSTERS 2 -- we all go on record as not caring a whit that AVATAR even from the trailers looked like POCAHONTAS with blue kitties. In fact, we defended it specifically on the grounds that there's nothing wrong with retelling a classic story in a new way. That's not the problem any of us have with AVATAR, the problem is that it's superficial and dull once you look past the eye candy.

Just because he likes the idea of a remake/retelling doesn't mean that he has to like every movie that does it. You're trying to nail him on an inconsistency in his position that doesn't exist.

EDIT: Also, Zarban, the first idea you mention could make a fine dark comedy/social satire a la AMERICAN PSYCHO. It wouldn't work as a wacky, lighthearted romp, but my whole point is that the success of an idea hinges on execution.

The other three are undeveloped, is all. The old ladies have to make the perfect embroidery pattern... in order to...? Figure out a decent ending to that sentence and you've got a solid movie (or don't, and you've got WANTED). Swap "plastic bag" for "mud puddle" and you're on your way to developing AMERICAN BEAUTY. Swap "monotonous rural life" for "strict parents" and you've got the broad strokes of WIZARD OF OZ.

Or were you doing that on purpose?

I'd never heard the term "script-remake" before, so I didn't know what you were talking about. What you're calling script remakes are pretty much never done -- PSYCHO is the only one I can think of and that didn't fly -- so I was taking it as a given that if we were talking about a remake, we were talking about going back to the drawing board, developing a new perspective on the material and writing a new script.

If there is a point to remaking a film at all, in my view, it's to do something different and take fuller advantage of certain opportunities, which is what I was asking about in the initial post.

Yeah, go ahead. Take a shot every time I say it. I dare you.